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This morning I was daydreaming about that Arizona mansion with its private go-kart track. That led me to fantasize about owning a private track for full-sized cars. Hmm, now where to put it … If you could build a dream race track, where in the world would it be?
I keep oscillating between interpretations of this prompt. If we’re talking “pure private fantasy world,” all you need to think about is what kind of climate you want to drive in.
But if you inject a sliver of realism, like, if you’re trying to be a race-track tycoon, there are far more factors to consider. Before you even start to think about zoning or construction logistics, you’ve got to identify a location with enough demand for high-performance driving that you might eventually be able to make your money back.
Whew, I’m not getting that invested in a passing thought. So I’m going with a middle-ground interpretation to say: Pennsylvania. Maybe somewhere in the middle, so it’s far enough from New York’s Monticello track but still accessible from some Eastern Seaboard metropolises.
Why PA? Here’s what I’m thinking—Pennsylvania typically has less expensive land than New York and neighboring New England states. It also, in my experience, it’s fairly friendly to things like motorsport and doesn’t have a lot of strict rules around cars (again, compared to neighboring states in the Northeast).
It also gets a range of weather, which recently, I’ve realized can be a good thing for racing venues. I did an ice race last weekend and it was some of the most fun I’ve had on four wheels. I would love to build a track with multiple routes, some paved, some unpaved, kind of like a global rallycross course but longer, to go hog wild on with cars and motorcycles. In all kinds of weather, all year round.
I’d build a sweet slopeside-style ski mansion for myself spanning right over the track so I could watch my buddies zoom around and wipe out while sipping coffee from the deck.
That’s a pretty specific fantasy situation I just cooked up, but hey those are gonna happen now that we’re doing a question-prompt post every day.
